Resurgent Romney regains momentum in Florida

Romney Back in Lead

AFP
Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney stepped up his campaign in Florida after a new opinion poll showed he was gaining momentum in a race against archrival Newt Gingrich, reports AFP.

With only three days to go until the vital Florida primary, the two rivals Saturday barnstormed the huge battleground state which could prove a make-or-break stop in their battle for the Republican Party crown.

After a shock defeat by Gingrich in South Carolina last weekend and a slew of attacks, Romney’s campaign got a fresh boost as he bids to be the party’s nominee to take on Democratic President Barack Obama in the November elections.

A Quinnipiac University survey showed the former Massachusetts governor at 38-29 percent over former House of Representatives speaker Gingrich in Florida, re-capturing the lead after slipping badly over recent days.

The poll of likely Republican voters was taken before the candidates’ televised debate on Thursday, but it indicated the race may be swinging back in favour of multimillionaire businessman and former venture capitalist Romney.

“Newt Gingrich’s momentum from his South Carolina victory appears to have stalled and governor Mitt Romney seems to be pulling away in Florida,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Texas congressman, Ron Paul, who has done virtually no campaigning in the Sunshine state, was on 14 percent, and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum was in fourth place, with 12 percent, the survey said.